Metalcatto
There are very few things as reliable and comfortable as Finnish Melodic Death Metal. You always get exactly what you’re expecting. Obscure Fate brings us an album with a name that again promises consistency: Shades of a Dying World. The only real question is whether this will be genuinely melodic or fall into Arch Enemy-level corny territory. Either way, those guitars will shine. Let’s see.
Yes, relax—that wasn’t sarcasm disguised as an intro. Shades has what it takes when it comes to guitar tones. Imagine if Insomnium was less depressing and took more from the classic In Flames playbook. I know what you’re thinking. Depending on which era of which band you’re picturing, that could be more of an insult than a compliment. And yes, we end up with a complex picture here, caught between the harsh and the soft side of MeloDeath. The riffs carry the aggression, but the melodies keep things accessible without sacrificing identity.
Shades might fool you at first, but it has way more American “Core” influences than you’d expect from a band from that region. That makes for an interesting combo where the riffs want to cut you into pieces, but the vocals sometimes want to help you heal. If that sounds like an abusive relationship, now you know what it’s like to be an extreme Metal reviewer. Hopefully the band only takes musical inspiration from the “Cor”e bands and leaves the behavioral influences at the door.
If you’re new to MER, you should know I don’t do well with too many breakdowns. There are technically none here that bother me directly. However, the tracks themselves are almost monozygotic twins of each other. Even if they’re easy to digest individually, the overall effect is disorienting. It feels totally wild that consistency can be taken to such an extreme. It’s like looking at minimalist living rooms. They’re beautiful, yes, but they’re all the same. Don’t fight me on this—I’ve seen enough of them to know.
I still enjoyed this light journey with lots of attitude. I think Obscure Fate can give us more wildness in the future, but for now, this is a good way to get to know the band if you haven’t heard of them before. Shades of a Dying World pushes on the melodic side of Metal without making me cringe. That should be considered a success all on its own. Sometimes you don’t need reinvention. You just need someone to do the familiar thing well, with heart, and without embarrassment. That’s what we have here.
Label: Inverse Records
Release date: March 27, 2026
Website: https://www.facebook.com/ObscureFateBand
Country: Finland
Score: 3.0/5.0
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